It is with great sadness that I share that Dr. Francis Thomas Borkowski, Appalachian State University’s fifth leader, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 19.

Frank led our university for 10 years from 1993 to 2003, and during this time, he strengthened the university’s academic reputation, expanding our global education programs, supporting programs designed for first-year students’ success, and helping extend the reach of the university’s arts programs through An Appalachian Summer Festival and the Hayes School of Music, which was named under his tenure in honor of Mariam Cannon Hayes, who had contributed the university’s largest gift to date in support of the arts at the university.

During his tenure, enrollment grew from 12,200 to more than 14,300, the university earned recognition by the American Council on Education as a model institution for international studies, and Time magazine named Appalachian State University a “College of the Year” in 2001. The university also held our first Martin Luther King Day Challenge service projects, which became a model for institutions across the country.

Dr. Borkowski was a lover of the arts, a musician and a conductor, and he and his wife, Kay, were avid supporters of the arts. During his tenure, An Appalachian Summer Festival grew to become a significant part of the cultural landscape and helped establish the area as a cultural tourism destination. Under his leadership, the university established the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, which opened in 2003. He also supported expanding the university’s public art program. In addition to his support of the Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition, sculptures of Daniel Boone and Yosef were added to the university’s landscape.

Under Frank’s leadership, the university celebrated our 100th anniversary, and as we grew in enrollment and gained international recognition, he also expanded our infrastructure. During the decade he led our university, the Holmes Convocation Center, Rankin Science North, McKinney Alumni Center and Rivers Street Parking Deck were constructed, Plemmons Student Union underwent a significant renovation, and the university purchased the new New York City Loft and also broke ground on the Belk Library and Information Commons, which was completed in 2005.

Frank was a first-generation American, the child of Polish immigrants, and among the first in his family to earn a high school education. He went on to become a respected academic leader at many institutions before he was Chancellor of Appalachian State. A tenured faculty member in the Hayes School of Music, he taught clarinet and played clarinet and accordion professionally. 

Those who knew him knew how much he loved Klezmer music. He was happiest when he was with his wife of 65 years and musician in her own right, Kay, enjoying the arts of all kinds, but especially those that held significance to his Eastern European heritage.

We honor Frank and the incredible contributions he made to the university in the decade he was Chancellor and the decades afterward, and our hearts are with Kay, their children and the entire Borkowski family.